What people want to eat or not is up to them. However, in the offices I have worked where there were vegitarians, it was noted that the had the highest rates of sick leave and general lack of energy etc.

Its perfectly possible to eat a healthy diet without meat .Considering
what the army job involves though being fussy about what you eat is just another problem .
Met several soldiers who got all upset at the thought of shooting stray dogs ,but,would happily have set houses on fire and shoot any surviors
if given the chance .So I dont think lack of meat eating mean they lack killer instinct .Hitler wasen't keen on meat no one ever claimed he was a pacfist .
They still mostly annoying though.

It has to be said that after a few days of chicken sausages, burger 'n' beans, turkey & herb pate, beef stew and lamb curry, cadging a few squrts of veggy alternative from a pal can, er, speed up essential toilet drills rather nicely. Bunging a Halal ration into your bergen relieves the monotony as well. Also a few of those Babybel cheese jobbies.

Being a vegetarian in the army is not a bad thing considering what career path you follow and what demands are put on you, i would not consider joining the Infantry or any combat role as there is a great deal of physical work load that is more so sustained by a diet which consists of meats, although there are most likely a diet routine that can be set out by your RMO that can advise you what food groups you can eat to sustain your strength and energy levels.

Would you pass basic without eating meat? I mean the lack of protein would do you in wouldnât it?

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I actually spoke about this with my girlfriend a while back, she is a vegan and we were discussing the effects of a meat free/ animal produce free diet.
I questioned her about the lack of nutrients you would suffer by skipping meat and dairy, and how much it could affect your fitness and general health- she simply pointed me in the direction of Mac Danzig (CLICKY), a UFC fighter who has been vegan since 2004. So far as fitness goes, I don't think he would struggle with phase 1...

Although this is more extreme of a diet that being vegetarian, it goes to show that it doesn't need to affect your fitness.

Saying that, I remember in Iraq in 2003, when we had problems getting rations through to our troop- after we had been through all of the British rations that we had, we were onto MREs that the Americans got for us- No chance of going veggie or vegan in that situation without going hungry, we just ate what we could get. Obviously the forces will cater for your diet when they can, but be aware this wont always be possible in more extreme circumstances.

If you remember that old series The Paras, the bloke from Perth, grew up in Rhodesia, Robertson I think, was a veggie. NCO said at the start, "any veggies will not pass". Not only did he pass, they didn't notice.

In accordance with the new Equality and Diversity Guidance and in order comply with EC Regulations, all training establishments and line units have to provide a vegetarian option (as well as a vegitarian option) that consists of the the recommended nutritional content in order for any soldier to operate effectively. If it is not easily identifiable on the hotplate, just politely ask the chef. They will point it out for you.

And don't worry about having to kill and skin a cat, rabbit or any other furry woodland creature. Vegetarians simply have to locate and dig up a root vegetable and then peel and eat it (raw or cooked its up to you).

The thing you have to remember is that during basic training as part of your field survival training you will be expected to catch, gut and skin then cook a cat. Failure to do so will see you back squadded.
It's not very pleasant but we all had to do it to pass out and it does show you how to survive in an urban combat situation.

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Markintime:
Not sure what you mean by "not particularly pleasant." A few years ago my favorite Chinese place in Boston's Chinatown was raided by the Boston Health Dept and the MSPCA. Yes, that's right, cat carcasses and dishes containing General Gau's Cat etc. I have not been back there since but the food was always quite tasty. It tasted like chicken to me.

The thing you have to remember is that during basic training as part of your field survival training you will be expected to catch, gut and skin then cook a cat. Failure to do so will see you back squadded.
It's not very pleasant but we all had to do it to pass out and it does show you how to survive in an urban combat situation.

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Markintime:
Not sure what you mean by "not particularly pleasant." A few years ago my favorite Chinese place in Boston's Chinatown was raided by the Boston Health Dept and the MSPCA. Yes, that's right, cat carcasses and dishes containing General Gau's Cat etc. I have not been back there since but the food was always quite tasty. It tasted like chicken to me.

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No no, the meats great, cat fur makes my eyes water and they split if you're not careful (but that's another lesson entirely).